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think there’s
something wrong with the idea that we should work at something we have no passion for, just because it’s the norm or the rule in the world we’re born into.
70 percent of respondents said they were “disengaged” from their jobs. Given the amount of time we spend at work, a job we have no passion for puts us at risk of living a life we have no passion for.
One of the keys to being extraordinary is knowing what rules to follow and what rules to break. Outside the rules of physics and the rules of law, all other rules are open to questioning.
“Hey, this morning I saw a tiger by the river, so let’s chill here until the tiger leaves to hunt, and then we can go there to eat, okay?”
So it seems that what language delineates, we can more easily discern.
Our language shapes what we “see.”
There’s the physical world of absolute truth. This world contains things we’re all likely to agree on: This is the riverbank; rocks are hard; water is wet; fire is hot; tigers have big teeth and it hurts when they bite you. No arguments there. But there’s also the world of relative truth. It’s the mental world of ideas, constructs, concepts, models, myths, patterns, and rules that we’ve developed and passed from generation to generation—sometimes for thousands of years. This is where concepts such as marriage, money, religion, and laws reside. This is relative truth because these ideas are
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I call this world of relative truth the culturescape. From the moment we’re born, we’re swimming in the culturescape. Our beliefs about the world and our systems for functioning in the world are all embedded in us through the flow and progression of culture from the minds of the people around us into our baby brains. But there’s just one problem. Many of these beliefs and systems are dysfunctional, and while the intention is that these ideas should guide us, in reality they keep us locked into lives far more limited than what we’re truly capable of. A fish is the last to discover water because
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Realizing that the world you’re living in exists inside your head puts you in the driver’s seat. You can use your own mind to deconstruct the beliefs, systems, and rules you’ve been living with. The rules are very real in the sense that they actually govern how people and societies act, but very real does not mean very right.
What if we accepted that things will go wrong—but that this is simply part of life’s beautiful unfolding and that even the biggest failures can have within them
seeds of growth and possibility?
Safety is overrated; taking risks is much less likely to kill us than ever before, and that means that playing it safe is more likely just holding us back from the thrills of a life filled with meaning and discovery.
“I have a high tolerance for pain.”
The dips contain amazing learnings and wisdom that lead to sharper rises in the quality of life afterward. But you will need to brave the momentary pain of these dips.
Terry Crews: “I constantly get out of my comfort zone. Once you push yourself into something new, a whole new world of opportunities opens up. But you might get hurt. But amazingly when you heal—you are somewhere you’ve never been.”
You will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Who’s more foolish, the fool? Or the fool who follows him?
We think we’re making a rational decision.
But often, the decision has little to do with rationality and more to do with ideas our family, culture, and peers have approved.
If we live in a society, and have to deal with the consequences of existing in that society, wouldn’t acknowledging the society’s frameworks still be considered rational?
A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.
I’d tell myself that I’d be able to connect with my potential client at a subconscious level, have empathy for his or her needs, know the right things to say at the right moment, and then—only if this was a software that would genuinely benefit the lawyer’s firm—close the sale.
The important thing to realize is that no matter what these beliefs are, they became true because we act and think in accordance with them. Thus, our beliefs truly do shape our world in a very real sense. But while your beliefs make you, your beliefs are NOT you. You can use consciousness engineering to swap out old beliefs, swap in new ones, and take on new understandings of the world that might serve you better.
1.YOUR LOVE RELATIONSHIP. This is the measure of how happy you are in your current state of relationship—whether you’re single and loving it, in a relationship, or desiring one. 2.YOUR FRIENDSHIPS. This is the measure of how strong
a support network you have. Do you have at least five people who you know have your back and whom you love being around? 3.YOUR ADVENTURES. How much time do you get to travel, experience the world, and do things that open you to new experiences and excitement? 4.YOUR ENVIRONMENT. This is the quality of your home, your car, your work, and in general the spaces where you spend your time—even when traveling. 5.YOUR HEALTH AND FITNESS. How would you rate your health, given your age, and any physical conditions? 6.YOUR INTELLECTUAL LIFE. How much and how fast are you growing and learning? How many
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“half of all drugs that fail in late-stage trials drop out of the pipeline due to their inability to beat” placebos. Dr. Moseley’s work rocked the medical establishment by showing that the placebo effect could apply to ailments for which they were performing surgery.
ask what questions:
Marisa Peer
Human beings can function as logical beings and as intuitive beings.
Creative visualization is a practice of shifting beliefs by meditating and then visualizing your life as you want it to evolve. It’s based on the idea that the subconscious mind cannot differentiate between a real and imagined experience. So I started visualizing my skin getting better. I spent just five minutes, three times a day visualizing my
It’s all about finding and hiring people smarter than you, getting them to join your business and giving them good work, then getting out of the way and trusting them. You have to get out of the way so you can focus on the bigger vision. That’s important, but here is the main thing: You must make them see their work as a mission.
called Learn Day.
neighborhood. It doesn’t have to cost any money at all, but your world will feel bigger and brighter when you regularly expose yourself to new corners of it.
which consists of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving.
Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man.
I was early taught to work as well as play, My life has been one long, happy holiday; Full of work and full of play— I dropped the worry on the way— And God was good to me every day.
We should be happy so we can do things.
UNFUCKWITHABLE: When you’re truly at peace and in touch with yourself. Nothing anyone says or does bothers you and no negativity can touch you.
lovingly call these sheets “blueprints for the soul.”
Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.
It’s inevitable that we get attached to people, to our goals, and fear losing them—but a true Jedi knows that attachments to people and goals can hinder us. It is possible to move toward a goal or to be madly in love with someone—without attachment.
I will always be surrounded by love. 2.I will always have the most amazing and beautiful human experiences. 3.I will always be learning and growing.
You can’t control someone else’s behavior toward you, but you can control your own reaction and how your meaning-making machine construes that behavior. The key is to override our inner desire to prove ourselves or our tendency to feel as if we’re not enough without the love or validation of others.
Therefore, accept praise and criticism as nothing more than someone else’s expressions of their models of reality. They have nothing to do with who you really are.
You were born enough. And we should be able to feel secure and complete in our own
One of Kamal’s techniques is for you to look at yourself in the mirror and say the words, “I love you.” Talking to yourself in the mirror is like speaking directly to your own soul—especially when you’re gazing at yourself in the eye. Have you noticed how uncomfortable it can be to really look someone in the eye for an extended period of time? Turns out it’s uncomfortable because it brings out feelings of connectedness and love.
The most extraordinary people in the world do not have careers. What they have is a calling.
Once you choose a destination, often the right synchronicities, opportunities, and people emerge in your life to get you there. Some people call this luck. I beg to differ. I believe luck is under our control. When you pursue the right end goals while making sure you’re happy in the now, happiness unlocks the door for luck to come calling.
“Live life as though everything is rigged in your favor.”
Kensho is growth by pain. Satori is growth by awakening.
Dr. Beckwith suggests that kensho is our soul’s way of calling on us to grow. Kensho was having my salary cut in
